Biological test method for determining acute lethality of sediment to amphipods: chapter 7

Section 7: Reporting Requirements

• 7.1 Minimum Requirements for a Test-specific Report
  • 7.1.1 Test Material
  • 7.1.2 Test Organisms
  • 7.1.3 Test Facilities
  • 7.1.4 Test Water
  • 7.1.5 Test Method
  • 7.1.6 Test Conditions and Procedures
  • 7.1.7 Test Results
• 7.2 Additional Reporting Requirements
  • 7.2.1 Test Material
  • 7.2.2 Test Organisms
  • 7.2.3 Test Facilities and Apparatus
  • 7.2.4 Test Water
  • 7.2.5 Test Method
  • 7.2.6 Test Conditions and Procedures
  • 7.2.7 Test Results

Each test-specific report must indicate if there has been any deviation from any of the "must" requirements delineated in Sections 2 to 6 of this reference method, and, if so, provide details of the deviation. The reader must be able to establish from the test-specific report whether the conditions and procedures preceding and during the test rendered the results valid and acceptable for the use intended.

Section 7.1 provides a list of the items which must be included in each test-specific report. A list of items that must either be included in the test-specific report, provided separately in a general report, or held on file for a minimum of five years, is found in Section 7.2. Specific monitoring programs or regulations might require selected test-specific items listed in Section 7.2 (e.g., details regarding the test material and/or explicit procedures and conditions during sample collection, handling, transport, and storage) to be included in the test-specific report, or might relegate certain test-specific information as data to be held on file.

Procedures and conditions common to a series of ongoing tests (e.g., routine toxicity tests for monitoring or compliance purposes) and consistent with specifications in this report, may be referred to by citation or by attachment of a general report which outlines standard laboratory practice.

Details on the conduct and findings of the test, which are not conveyed by the test-specific report or general report, should be kept on file by the laboratory for a minimum of five years so that the appropriate information can be provided if an audit of the test is required. Filed information might include:

• a record of the chain-of-continuity for field-collected or other samples tested for regulatory or monitoring purposes;
• a copy of the record of acquisition for the sample(s);
• chemical analytical data on the sample(s) which are not included in the test-specific report;
• bench sheets for the observations and measurements recorded during the test;
• bench sheets and warning chart(s) for the reference toxicity tests;
• detailed records of the source of the test organisms, their taxonomic confirmation, and all pertinent information on their collection, transport, holding, acclimation, and health; and
• information on the calibration of equipment and instruments.

Original data sheets must be signed or initialed, and dated by the laboratory personnel conducting the tests.

7.1 Minimum Requirements for a Test-specific Report

Following is a list of items that must be included in each test-specific report.

7.1.1 Test Material

• brief description of sample type (e.g., dredged material, reference sediment, contaminated or potentially contaminated field-collected sediment, control sediment) or coding, as provided to the laboratory personnel;
• information on labeling or coding of each sample; and
• date of sample collection; date sample(s) received at test facility.

7.1.2 Test Organisms

• species, source, and date of collection; and
• any unusual appearance, behaviour, or treatment of the organisms, before their use in the test.

7.1.3 Test Facilities

• name and address of test laboratory; and
• name of person(s) performing the test.

7.1.4 Test Water

• type, source, and salinity of test water; and
• measured characteristics of test water, before and/or at time of start of the toxicity test.

7.1.5 Test Method

• citation of biological test method used (i.e., as per this report);
• frequency and type of measurements and observations made during test; and
• name and citation of program(s) and methods used for calculating statistical endpoints.

7.1.6 Test Conditions and Procedures

• design and description if any deviation from or exclusion of any of the procedures and conditions specified in this report;
• number of discrete samples per treatment; number of replicate test chambers for each treatment; number and description of treatments in each test including the control(s);
• volume of sediment and overlying water in each test chamber;
• number of organisms per test chamber and treatment;
• dates when test was started and ended;
• for each sample -- percent very coarse-grained sediment (i.e., particles >1.0 mm), percent sand, percent silt, percent clay, percent water content, total organic carbon; porewater salinity, porewater pH, and porewater ammonia;
• for at least one test chamber representing each treatment -- all measurements of temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, ammonia, and pH in overlying water; and
• any measurements showing DO <60% saturation in the overlying water, for any test chamber.

7.1.7 Test Results

• mean (± SD) percentage of amphipods that survived in each treatment (including the control) during the 10-day test, together with the results of all pairwise statistical comparisons;
• results for 96-h LC50 (including its 95% confidence limits) performed with cadmium chloride using the same batch of test organisms, reported as mg Cd/L; together with the geometric mean value (± 2 SD) for this reference toxicant and test species as derived at the test facility in previous tests using the procedures and conditions herein; and
• anything unusual about the test, any deviation from these procedures and conditions, any problems encountered, any remedial measures taken.

7.2 Additional Reporting Requirements

Following is a list of items that must be either included in the test-specific report or the general report, or held on file for a minimum of five years.

7.2.1 Test Material

• identification of person(s) who collected and/or provided the sample;
• records of sample chain-of-continuity and log-entry sheets; and
• conditions (e.g., temperature, in darkness, in sealed container) of sample upon receipt and during storage.

7.2.2 Test Organisms

• collection site and supplier of organisms;
• conditions and procedures during collection (e.g., tide status, sea conditions, collection by boat or beach seine, collection by dredge or shovel, sieving and handling procedures in the field);
• name of person(s) who identified the species of test organism and the taxonomic guidelines used to confirm species;
• estimated number of amphipods transferred to each collection/holding/acclimation container, as provided by collector(s); any observations of condition, appearance, and behaviour of amphipods when received at testing laboratory; numbers of dead, atypical, or apparently unhealthy animals removed from each collection/holding/acclimation container during the period preceding sieving and collection of animals to be placed in test chambers;
• description of holding and acclimation conditions (facilities; lighting source and intensity at surface of overlying water in holding/acclimation containers; seawater source and quality; water pretreatment; water exchange rate and estimated density of amphipods in holding/acclimation containers; salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH during holding and acclimation);
• average total body length (with range and sample size) of individual amphipods used in the test; and
• procedures used to count, handle, sort, transfer, and sieve animals; and those to determine their mortality, condition, appearance, and behaviour.

7.2.3 Test Facilities and Apparatus

• description of laboratory's previous experience with this reference method using the selected species of test organism;
• description of systems for providing lighting and compressed air, and for regulating temperature within test facility;
• description of test chambers; and
• description of procedures used to clean and rinse test apparatus.

7.2.4 Test Water

• type and quantity of any chemical(s) added to test water;
• procedure for adjusting salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen; and
• storage conditions and duration before use.

7.2.5 Test Method

• methods used (with citations) for chemical analyses of test material (sediment and pore water) and test water; including details concerning aliquot sampling, preparation, and storage before analysis.

7.2.6 Test Conditions and Procedures

• measurements of light intensity adjacent to surface of overlying water in test chambers;
• statement concerning conditions (rate and manner) for aerating overlying water in test chambers before and during the test;
• records of any disruption of air flow to test chambers, and of related DO measurements;
• appearance of each sample and of the overlying water in test chambers; changes in appearance noted during test;
• any other chemical measurements (e.g., contaminant concentration, acid volatile sulphides, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total inorganic carbon, cation exchange capacity, redox potential, porewater hydrogen sulphide, porewater ammonia) made before and during the test on test material (including control and reference sediment) and contents of test chambers; including analyses of whole sediment, pore water, and overlying water;
• any other observations or analyses made on the test material (including samples of control or reference sediment); e.g., faunal tracks, qualitative and/or quantitative data regarding indigenous macrofauna or detritus, geochemical analyses; and
• chemical analyses of concentrations of cadmium in test solutions of reference toxicant.

7.2.7 Test Results

• records of observations of amphipod appearance and behaviour when initiating the test and during its first hour (i.e., apparent avoidance responses); records of numbers of amphipods replaced during this period;
• records of numbers of animals seen swimming in the water, floating on its surface, moving on the surface of the sediment, or emerged from the sediment but apparently dead, during each observation period; records of numbers surviving, dead, and missing (and presumed dead) at test end;
• warning chart showing the most recent and historic results for toxicity tests with the reference toxicant; and
• original bench sheets and other data sheets, signed and dated by the laboratory personnel performing the test and related analyses.